It All Started With A Confession
by CrayolaBox16
Summary: Hermione Granger has fallen in love with Draco Malfoy. She decides to tell him, with favorable results from Draco, but a bad reaction from Hermione. Eight years later, Hermione is engaged to Ron Weasley. This is his chance to get what he lost years ago.
1. Confession

**Author's Note: So...hey guys! It's Red again. :D This fic was my first idea after school ended and I hope you guys like it.**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling is responsible for Harry Potter in all its awesomeness. Nothing belongs to me, except my plot.**

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****Chapter One: Confession**

_Hermione's POV_

Graduation. At last, it's here. Well…the real ceremony ended a few hours ago, and we're getting ready to leave Hogwarts in the early morning tomorrow. I've actually packed all my stuff already…but there's one more thing I need to do before I can say that I am ready to leave Hogwarts for the very last time. I need to tell Draco Malfoy that I love him.

That's right. I, Hermione Granger, am in love with him. And all of this happened just because we've been co-Heads for the past year. Now you might tell me I've gone crazy, with me falling for him, of all people, but…he's changed. The war really took its toll on him. After the war, he lost everything. His father went to jail, and his so-called friends abandoned him. His mother…his mother escaped during the war. She went away for some time. But, until now, 2 years after the war, nobody has seen her yet.

Anyways…he's changed. I've seen a side of him that I bet nobody knows about. When Harry and Ron found out about my friendship with Draco, they went ballistic. Ginny, on the other hand, was more open-minded on the topic. To tell the truth, Ginny is the reason why I have to tell Draco my secret tonight.

_~six months ago~_

"You really like him, don't you?" Ginny said, smiling at me. I nodded silently, with nothing more to say. "Will you ever tell him?" she questioned further, obviously wanting more answers. I shook my head.

"Of course not. That's just ridiculous if I do." I shook my head as Ginny opened her mouth to say something. "No, no, absolutely not," I said, wishing to end this topic already.

"But, why?" she whined, trying to talk me into it. "Hermione, this is your only chance to tell him! After graduation, you might not see him again! Or probably if you do, it'll be too late!"

"I'm afraid, Gin," I admitted. "What if I tell him, and he doesn't say anything? What if I tell him, and he laughs at me? What if I tell him, and he says I'm being stupid?"

"Well, Hermione…what's worse? Those things you said, or wondering forever what might've happened if you told him?"

Well, that shut me up. Ginny does have a point. What if I don't tell him? Then I'll never know how he'd react to it. I spent a few more minutes thinking about it and afterwards, I nodded to myself. I've made my decision.

_~end of flashback~_

_Draco's POV_

I heard somebody knock on my door, just as I was finishing my packing. "D-Draco?" I heard Hermione call, albeit hesitantly. "C-can I talk to you?"

"Sure, I'll be right there!" I called back, closing the lid of my trunk and locking it. I got up from my chair and opened the door to a pale looking Hermione. "Er…are you alright Hermione? You look pale…"

"I-I'm fine, don't worry. I just, er, have something to say actually. I just wanted you to know before we leave Hogwarts and…"

_Know about what? _I thought to myself. "Erm…go ahead then. Just tell me what you need to tell me," I said smiling.

"Well, actually, it's been going on for a while now, and er…what I'm trying to say is that I—I can't do this," she said abruptly, cutting off her own sentence.

"Do what?" I asked, not following what she was trying to say. "Er…do you want to come inside and sit down first? And erm…try to compose yourself? You might need some time before you can tell me what you are trying to tell me…"

"No, thanks…it'll be better if I just spit this out already…so I get it over with," she said, turning paler by the minute, if that was still possible, seeing that she was already as white as a sheet.

"Okay then…let's have it. Spit it out already," I replied slowly, unsure of what to expect from this.

"Er…you know what? Can you just give me more time? I'm sure I can say this by tomorrow morning. Is that okay with you?" she asked, smiling sheepishly.

"Erm…okay then." I was about to close the door when I called her back. "Oh and, Mione?"

"Yeah?" she replied, turning back towards me.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it's fine," I said, grinning at her. "After all, you're practically my best friend these days so I'm sure whatever you'll say won't be that bad."

"Thanks," she replied. "You don't know what that means to me."

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**Hogwarts Express**

**12:00 PM**

_Hermione's POV_

"Hey, Mione? Wake up, we're almost here," Harry said, patting my shoulder lightly.

"Huh? What?" I said groggily, rubbing my eyes. The light of the sun outside blinded me temporarily. Blinking continuously, Harry and Ron came to view and the scenery outside as well.

"So, how was your nap?" Ron asked jokingly. "You've been asleep since we got off the station at Hogwarts. Didn't you sleep well last night?"

"I actually slept well," I lied. "I'm probably just tired with all that needed to be prepared for today," I added, making my lie more believable. In truth, all my things have been prepared early the last evening. The only thing that kept me up was that nagging voice in my head reminding me of what I had to tell Draco.

The train slowed down, interrupting my thoughts. After a while, it came to a complete halt. Harry and Ron retrieved their trunks overhead and looked at me. I came to my feet and got my trunk, with Harry's help, seeing that it was overflowing with books again. "Thanks," I muttered.

We got out of the compartment, with Harry and Ron walking out first. I felt relaxed, with no sign of Draco on the train anymore. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Hermione," Draco said. I guess I spoke too soon. I gulped and turned to face him. "So…what was it you were going to tell me?" he asked, smirking.

There goes my coherence. There goes my reason. There goes my confidence. Well, let's just get this over with, so I can go home and forget about it.

"Well, see…er, I've liked you since we became friends," I said quickly. "You were a changed person, I saw that, and then things changed between us, and then I wake up and I feel something different for you. And…it's so stupid." Isn't that just the perfect way to end a confession? I hit myself mentally, looking up at Draco, only to find him staring at me, shocked, of course. I sighed and turned away, already walking out of the train, dragging my trunk with me.

_Draco's POV_

Wait, what? She likes me? She actually likes me? Wait, why is she walking away?

I pulled her back to face me, our lips meeting. Abruptly, she pulled away from me. Why though? I thought she liked me… within seconds I was staring at the her figure dashing out from the train, cheeks burning red and her eyes brimming with what looked like tears.

Great. I knew I messed up. This was all too good to be true.

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_~8 years later~_

**Ministry of Magic, Department of International Magical Cooperation**

**8:00 AM**

"Mr. Malfoy?" my secretary called one day, looking at me through the sliding glass door in my office. I looked up at her from The Daily Prophet I was reading. "Ginny Potter is here to see you, sir."

"Let her in," I replied, folding The Daily Prophet and placing it on top of my desk. Weaselette entered my office, with an envelope in her hand. "So…good to see you, Weaselette," I said sarcastically.

"Malfoy, it's Potter now, and this is no time to be joking. This," she said, raising the envelope she was holding in the air, "is really serious. Something has to be done about it."

"And that envelope is about what?" I said, my voice losing any previous hint of sarcasm, replacing it with evident worry.

She threw it on my desk, the envelope facing me. I recognized at once Hermione's miniature penmanship spelling out my name. Draco Malfoy, the envelope said.

"She's getting married to Ron," Weaselette said, folding her arms above her chest. "And you have to do something about it. Quickly."

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**A/N: Reviews please! :)**


	2. An Invitation

**Author's Note: Red here! Sorry for taking long to update...Fanfiction's uploading system was down for a while. But good thing is it's back on and here is Chapter Two. Hope you enjoy it, and it was worth the wait. **

**Disclaimer: Red. JK Rowling. We're different, see? So...clearly, Harry Potter and Dramione aren't mine. /sighs**

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****Chapter Two: An Invitation**

_**Previously…**_

"_So…good to see you, Weaselette," I said sarcastically._

"_Malfoy, it's Potter now, and this is no time to be joking. This," she said, raising the envelope she was holding in the air, "is really serious. Something has to be done about it."_

"_And that envelope is about what?" I said, my voice losing any previous hint of sarcasm, replacing it with evident worry. _

_She threw it on my desk, the envelope facing me. I recognized at once Hermione's miniature penmanship spelling out my name. Draco Malfoy, the envelope said. _

"_She's getting married to Ron," Weaselette said, folding her arms above her chest. "And you have to do something about it. Quickly."_

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_"Well, what can I do?" I asked exasperatedly, running a hand through my hair. "Last time we saw each other was eight years ago, and that wasn't really the best of partings…" I left my sentence hanging, not wanting to remember what happened on the train the last time I saw Hermione.

"Well, tell me about it," Weaselette said, taking the chair opposite me.

"Can we please not talk about this? It's painful enough knowing Hermione is marrying your brother, and that I made the stupidest mistake in my life when I let her get out of that train eight years ago," I said, forgetting momentarily that I was talking to Hermione's best friend.

She raised an eyebrow at me and looked at me amusedly. "Well since you started to talk already, might as well finish your story."

"Bugger," I muttered under my breath. "Well…Hermione told me she liked me…it took her a while to, but she did. Then I kissed her. Next thing I know, she's fled the scene, already rushing out of the Hogwarts Express, with her cheeks red and her eyes brimming with tears."

"You what?" Weaselette practically screamed at me. "She told you, and she never said anything about it!" She was already beside herself with glee.

"Er…so do you have any idea on why she ran from me after she confessed how she liked me?"

"She's probably afraid…" Weaselette mused, looking thoughtful.

"Afraid of what? Of what I'd think after she told me? I bloody kissed her already for Merlin's sake!" I practically shouted at Weaselette, forgetting that people passing by in the corridor might hear.

"Calm down, Malfoy. It's not the end of the world yet," Weaselette replied, absolutely not seeing this as a dilemma for my part. But then again, why would she? "To be honest, she was afraid at first. She was worried you'd say nothing, or that you wouldn't take her seriously. Or worse comes to worst, you'd laugh. As to why she ran after you kissed her…" she paused momentarily, probably thinking up theories to my question. She exhaled, looking up at me. "I don't know," she said quietly. "You'll have to ask her yourself," she added, posing this challenge to me as if it were the easiest thing to do.

"You're kidding, right?" I asked, sounding nervous now. "I can't possibly…I mean, the last time we saw each other, I even managed to make her cry, even with our friendship. How would you think she'd react to seeing me now, inquiring about that encounter, years after it happened? I mean our friendship…I'm not even sure where it is now! And besides…she's getting married in two weeks. I'm just going to mess up her life even more if I show up."

"Draco," Weaselette said, using my first name to call my attention. "She invited you. Why else would she if Hermione didn't want to see you?"

I sighed. Of course she had a point. Bugger. "Fine then. I'll do it. I'll ask her but that's the end of that. No objections to her marriage at all. And…"

"What?" she practically screamed at me again, almost glaring at me as well. "Malfoy, don't you understand? This is your chance! You didn't get her last time; will you let that happen again?" She looked at me with a quizzical expression, looking at me like a professor expecting the correct answer from a student.

One look at her and I knew something was up. "There's something you're not telling me," I said, eyeing her suspiciously.

"What might that be?" she demanded, but not before I saw her get taken aback by what I said.

"Nothing," I replied, feigning innocence.

She smirked at me. "I told you," she shot back, her face turning very smug.

Something really was up.

_~two weeks ago~_

_Ginny's POV _

"He what?" I screamed at Hermione, who was looking absolutely calm, despite what Ron has done, only a month before their wedding.

"Yes, Ginny. Your brother has cheated on me with Lavender Brown. What's new with that?" Hermione said her words laced with venom. "He was daft enough to actually ignore my feelings in sixth year, so why should he stop now?"

"For Merlin's sake Hermione, he's engaged to you!" I screamed. "He's in no position to go running after girls as if he's another infatuated schoolboy!"

"Calm down, Ginny. I have a plan," she said, reaching for an envelope on her desk, which had an invitation to her wedding. She scribbled something on the envelope and handed it to me. "Give it to him, okay, Gin?" she said, her eyes tearing up.

I looked down on the envelope and saw "Draco Malfoy" written on it. "What?" I asked, not following what she was trying to do.

"Just get that to him. Make him remember," she said mysteriously.

"Er…okay then…I'll do my best. And after that?" I questioned, still not getting her whole plan.

"He'll know what to do. And you know how to talk him into it," she replied, smirking at me. She mumbled something under her breath.

"Sorry, what?" I asked.

_Hermione's POV_

"Nothing," I said, smiling again. "Just…can you do me this one favor, Gin?"

"Sure thing," she replied. I then shooed Ginny out of my office and smirked.

"I'm sure you can talk him into it, just as you talked me into confessing my feelings for him," I said to myself, sighing.

_~end of flashback~_

_Draco's POV_

"So…" I started. "You sure nothing's up? I mean you did say something has to be done about it…"

"I told you once, I'll tell you again—no, there is nothing up. Unless of course, you want something to be up," she replied.

"What the hell does that mean?" I questioned, getting more confused by the minute, ignoring for a moment that she ignored my second question.

"I just mean that something's only up if you want to do something about your current situation that you damn well know will affect Hermione's as well." She smiled at me and turned on her heel, out of my office in seconds. I have this really uncomfortable feeling this encounter with Weaselette is just the beginning of my confusion. Bugger.

"Bugger," I muttered under my breath. Reaching for the envelope, I tore it open and took the invitation from inside.

_Dear Draco,_

_I invite you to my wedding with Ron which is two weeks from today, at 2 PM in the Burrow. I hope this arrives to you safely and that you will attend the ceremony. It will mean a lot to me, as you are already one of my best friends._

_Hermione_

I guess it's about time I paid Hermione a visit again.

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**A/N: So...comments? Questions? Clarifications? Violent reactions? You can all put them in a review so please...leave one! :D**


	3. Wedding Preparations

**Author's Note: Okay. Hey guys! Red here again! So I'm uploading Chapter 3 with Chapter 2, as compensation for the wait. Hope you enjoy it! :D**

**Disclaimer: Red. JK Rowling. See how we're different? So...of course, I don't own Harry Potter...or Dramione. /sighs**

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****Chapter Three: Wedding Preparations **

_**Previously…**_

"_I just mean that something's only up if you want to do something about your current situation that you damn well know will affect Hermione's as well." She smiled at me and turned on her heel, out of my office in seconds._

"_Bugger," I muttered under my breath. Reaching for the envelope, I tore it open and took the invitation from inside._

_Dear Draco,_

_I invite you to my wedding with Ron which is two weeks from today, at 2 PM in the Burrow. I hope this arrives to you safely and that you will attend the ceremony. It will mean a lot to me, as you are already one of my best friends._

_Hermione_

_I guess it's about time I paid Hermione a visit again. _

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__Hermione's POV_

He came at a really bad time. And I'm not saying this because I don't want to see him. I seriously think he came at the worst time possible. Draco Malfoy appeared in my office just minutes ago, without any notice, and now, after eight years, is asking me how I was. I can't say I didn't see this coming. I did ask Ginny to deliver his invitation to my wedding, and…it seems he remembers. Now what he wants to do about my wedding is completely unknown.

He always had the skill to block out his emotions from his face, even when we were Heads. Damn. Here he is, sitting across my desk in my office, looking amused at the bewildered look on my face.

"Er…Draco?" I said, bringing him out of his gleeful contemplation. "I don't mean to sound rude, but…this is the worst time possible for you to be here…"

He merely smiled at me, filling my stomach with butterflies, as it did so many years ago. Well this totally disproves my theory of actually just being a hormonal teenager at the time I liked him. Because apparently…until now, Merlin help me, I still like him. I might actually love him at this point already. Damn. "Well…you did say I am one of your best friends…so I presumed it was okay to visit you whenever I was possible. And, Hermione, it's been eight years since we actually talked. We have some catching up to do… besides, what's on the agenda today that's keeping you from spending time with me?" he asked, a puzzled look on his face.

"Well, I need to pick up my wedding dress from Madam Malkin's today, as well as send out invitations to my relatives. And I need to go to the Burrow to check on the arrangements and everything…" I stopped, realizing there wasn't much work today. It was just me avoiding him.

"What about your fiancé, then? Where does he come in?" he asked, raising his eyebrow. I kept silent, not wanting him to know about my problems with Ron. Without warning, he wiped my face, where unnoticed tears had fallen down my cheeks. "It's probably not the best time to talk about him then," he said, offering a warm smile. "Well, come on then," he continued, rising from his chair, and outstretching his hand toward me. I shot him a quizzical look. "I'll go with you today, while you…run your errands," he explained, smirking. This was going to be a long day.

"I guess it's okay…er…thanks," I said, still ignoring the proffered hand. Getting the hint, he brought it down to his side, clearing his throat to avoid any awkward silence.

Within minutes, we were out of the Ministry of Magic, with me carrying a bunch of envelopes. These were the invitations to my relatives, from both sides of the family.

"Why so many envelopes?" Draco asked, gaping at them as we walked through the street, turning at a corner.

"Well, my parents insisted that I invite as much relatives as possible, seeing that my engagement has made them so happy, since they like Ron…" I stopped, again sounding uncomfortable with the subject. It had touched on Ron again.

"Do you like him?" he said suddenly, catching me off guard. Just when tears had started pricking my eyes, I blinked them away. I looked at him and smiled.

"Why else would I marry him?" I asked, praying that I sounded more confident than I felt.

Turning another corner, we reached the post office. I entrusted the envelopes to the postman at the nearest desk, thanked him, and went out into the street again. "So, where do we go next?" he asked, trying to shake off the awkwardness left behind by our last topic.

"Well…to Madam Malkin's for my gown," I said. "I'll just apparate there from here…are you still going with me?" I asked, hinting him to go away.

"Yes," he said, smirking. Well, that hint was useless. Without warning, he took my hand in his and left me bewildered, until I understood what he meant—Side-along Apparition. Before long, the scene of the street before me disappeared, and I felt as if I was going through a tube. Opening my eyes, I found myself in Diagon Alley, with Draco still clutching my hand. Damn it. I cleared my throat and he let go of my hand abruptly. He offered a sheepish smile that I returned.

We walked towards Madam Malkin's in silence, with nothing much to say. Reaching the entrance I turned to him. "Draco, this might take a while…do you want to go around Diagon Alley and just meet up with me here later?" I asked, hoping—praying that he would go away.

As you can see, I still didn't want to see him.

"Oh…it's okay. I can stay with you. Is that…fine with you?" he asked, eyebrows arched, his eyes staring into mine. I nodded, still distracted by my feelings for him.

"Erm…okay then," I finished lamely. So, being distracted for the nth time, I walked inside Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions with Draco. Damn.

Draco took a seat near the door and waited, while I was shown into an inner room where Madam Malkin showed me my gown, which was finished 2 days ago.

It was made of silky material, the same kind as my periwinkle dress during the Yule Ball. It had elbow length sleeves, and a rectangular neckline. It didn't have a long train—I'm afraid someone might step on it and leave me to be pulled back. Instead, its hem reached until my feet, with some allowance to still display the shoes that Ginny forced—I mean—bought for me.

I bought it out to the dressing room to try it on, checking if it was correctly sized. I was glad to see that it was. I turned to the mirror, only to realize that it was outside. So that meant Draco had to see me in this. I sighed inwardly and steeled myself, only hoping that I had Harry's invisibility cloak with me. Opening the door, I stepped outside and walked towards the mirror. Seeing myself in it, I barely had any time to react. Draco did that for me.

_Draco's POV_

She looked absolutely beautiful. But I'm betting I can't tell her that…seeing that Hermione never liked compliments…especially the ones telling her she was pretty. Without thinking, I stood up and walked over to her, gaping like an idiot. From the mirror, she saw my reaction and stared at me…probably in shock at my reaction.

Hermione turned to me and raised an eyebrow. "What do you think?" she asked a small smile on her lips. "_Honestly_, what do you think?" she asked again, putting emphasis on the start of her sentence.

"I think you're beautiful," I whispered, tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. "Weasley's very lucky to have you…" I continued, more to myself than to her. I broke out of my reverie and smiled. "Anyways…you look beautiful," I repeated. Silence ensued. I cleared my throat.

"Thanks," she muttered, cheeks turning into a shade of light red. "Well, I'll just change back into my clothes and we'll be on our way." I nodded, returning to my seat.

Within minutes, we were out of Madam Malkin's, and on our way to the Burrow for Hermione's wedding arrangements and all that. We Side-Along apparated once more, since I had no idea where the Burrow was.

Arriving there, we found Weaselette near the door, carrying linens and other materials. Looking up at the top floor window, I saw the Weasel himself, looking enraged if I might add. She ran towards us, dropping those she was carrying near the door. She whispered something in Hermione's ear and pointed to the window I had been looking at. "Let's go, Draco," Hermione told me hurriedly, taking my hand and dragging me back to the street. Before we could walk far enough to disapparate, the Weasel had come out of the house, already red in the face. He marched towards us, looking as if he was about to explode. Near the doorway, a woman appeared from the house—a woman I recognized as Lavender Brown.

I furrowed my eyebrows and looked at Hermione for an explanation but Weasley had already reached us.

"Hermione, how dare you?" he spat at Hermione. "Why'd you bring the ferret here? This is my house and you bring over this bloke of all people, two weeks before our wedding? What should I think that means?" he screamed even more, almost spitting in Hermione's face.

I thought Hermione was going to cry…or walk away. Guess I still don't know her that much. Wiping her face, she blinked and stared hard at Weasley. "Let me tell you this, Ronald. Whether you like it or not, Draco has been more of a friend to me in the 8 years of our friendship that you have in our 15 years as "friends"! Also, I don't think you're in any place to argue, seeing that you have Lav-Lav with you again, even after I found out about you two! So if you still want this engagement to work, I suggest you start cleaning yourself up, Ron. Get rid of your flaws before you start pointing out mine." At this point, tears were already swimming in her eyes, so I took hold of her hand and whispered, "Let's go someplace else first." She nodded and within seconds, we had appeared in front of a quaint Italian restaurant not far from the Ministry.

"We'll talk about this over lunch, okay?" Without letting go of her hand, we walked towards the restaurant.

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**A/N: Comments? Questions? Clarifications? Violent reactions? You can put them in a review...so please take time to leave one! Thanks! :)**


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